Benefits of Individuals Doing Relationship Counselling

Relationship counselling is a way for couples to work out conflicts and issues that are threatening their relationship.

If you’re enthusiastic about getting couple counselling, hopefully, your partner feels the same – but that’s not always the case. Your partner may not feel the same need or desire to talk to a counsellor. If that’s the case, should you hold off or go it alone?

The Benefits of Individual Therapy for Relationship Problems

Just because your partner is averse to counselling doesn’t mean you and your relationship can’t benefit from the expertise a relationship counsellor offers.

Not only is it talking to a counsellor beneficial from a psychological standpoint, it gives you a chance to talk about conflicts in your relationship with a trained professional who’s probably already seen or heard it all.

Professional counsellors are trained to listen to your problems, help address conflicts and work with you to find workable solutions to personal and relationship issues. With the help of a counsellor, you may see problems in your relationship in a new way and find more effective ways to deal with them.

Just as importantly, a counsellor can help you change how you think about and react to conflicts in your marriage. This can positively impact your relationship even if your partner isn’t directly involved in the counselling process. Plus, simply talking to someone who is objective and supportive helps ease some of the anxiety and stress most people experience from unresolved relationship issues. That’s important since unaddressed stress and anger can lead to health problems.

Plus, counselling can help you uncover solutions you may not have considered on your own. You’ll see issues affecting your relationship from a new perspective. Talking to a counsellor will also help you recognise and express your feelings about your relationship in a safe and caring environment. That’s therapeutic for everyone involved!

Other Benefits of Individual Counselling

There’s another aspect of individual counselling that can be beneficial to your relationship. It can help you feel better about yourself.

Counselling can boost your self-esteem, help you feel more comfortable with yourself, reassess how you relate to your partner and help you handle all aspects of your life better – including your relationship.

When you feel good about yourself, you’ll approach people and your relationship differently. That can have benefits for you, your partner and your relationship as a whole.

How Effective Is Individual Relationship Counseling?

Not sure whether individual relationship counselling works? A professor of psychology at the University of Denver put it to the test. He asked 300 couples to undergo relationship counselling either as a couple or individually. The results? The couples that were seen individually saw as many positive changes in their relationship than those that were seen as a couple. Individual counselling is a viable option if your partner is unwilling to seek counselling with you.

The Bottom Line

Is individual therapy for you? Relationship counselling is about making relationships better and, ideally, it should be a shared experience.

On the other hand, one-on-one relationship counselling has benefits too. It can change how you approach conflict, help you gain new insights into yourself and your relationship, relieve stress and boost your self-esteem.

This can have benefits for you as an individual and for your relationship as a whole. Even if your partner is reluctant to get counselling, individual counselling can help you AND your partner enjoy a healthier relationship.

If you feel like you and your partner will benefit from individual counselling, please contact me on 0413 181 320 for a FREE 15-minute phone consultation on how I can help you.

Comments

That is an interesting angle Colleen. I have also been successful counselling partners individually on their relationships. I wanted to ask whether you do not perhaps sometimes feel like me that we are excluding half the situation we are trying to heal.
That said, I agree wholeheartedly that we should help wherever we can. I have had cases where the counselled client learned to unpack their true emotions, and express their inner longings in ways that convinced their partners to come on board and join the therapy. In these instances, I have seen a stronger joint commitment to the process which is what we are trying to achieve.

I like that individual counseling helps you feel better about yourself and your marriage. If you just go to relationship counseling it fixes your relationship yes but maybe doesn’t help with your self esteem. I think this is something that some people in my family would benefit from. I’ll be sure to suggest that they read this or look up individual counseling!

I like that you brought up individual therapy when a partner isn’t interested. I think it can be very valuable. My wife and I see a counselor and we have a great marriage. I would say that counseling can be beneficial even when there aren’t serious issues.